County profile

Panola County

Mississippi · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
32,808
Median household income
$45,945
People below poverty
23.3%
Median home value
$127,800

Income

The median income of households in Panola County, Mississippi was $45,945. An estimated 7.8% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.8
$10,000 to $14,999 8.3
$15,000 to $24,999 12
$25,000 to $34,999 12.4
$35,000 to $49,999 11.5
$50,000 to $74,999 13.9
$75,000 to $99,999 13.6
$100,000 to $149,999 10.6
$150,000 to $199,999 5.9
$200,000 or more 3.9

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 51325
Female 37377

An estimated 64.1% of households received earnings. An estimated 46.1% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,910. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 64.1
Social Security 46.1
Retirement income 21.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 9.7
Cash public assistance income 3.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 23.3 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 30% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 15.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 22.6% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 23.3
Children under 18 years below poverty 30
People 65 years old and over below poverty 15.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 22.6

In 2020-2024, 16.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 52.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 40.9% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 44.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024, 87.3% had health insurance coverage and 12.7% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 53.9% and public coverage was 45%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 5.8%.


In 2020-2024, Panola County, Mississippi had a total population of 32,808 - 17,153 (52.3%) females and 15,655 (47.7%) males. The median age was 39.4 years. An estimated 24.7% of the population was under 18 years, 30.1% was 19 to 44 years, 25% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.5 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1113 1057
5 to 9 1081 940
10 to 14 1133 1335
15 to 19 1143 1211
20 to 24 956 990
25 to 29 1021 1052
30 to 34 996 1071
35 to 39 763 1023
40 to 44 962 1048
45 to 49 863 972
50 to 54 946 1019
55 to 59 843 1111
60 to 64 1286 1147
65 to 69 872 1034
70 to 74 790 812
75 to 79 333 593
80 to 84 287 381
85 and over 267 357

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 46.6% were White; 48.3% were Black or African American; 16.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 24.9% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.1% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.1% of the people in Panola County, Mississippi were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 46.5% of the people in Panola County, Mississippi were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 12,312 households in Panola County, Mississippi. The average household size was 2.63 people.

Married-couple households made up 39.8% of the households in Panola County, Mississippi while cohabiting couple households made up 3.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 35.9% of all households, while 20.8% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.6% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.2% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.8% of all households.

In Panola County, Mississippi, 28.7% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 33.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 39.8
Cohabiting Couples 3.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.8
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
35.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 42.3% of males and 38.3% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 40.3 35.1
Now married, except separated 42.3 38.3
Separated 2.5 2.1
Widowed 2.9 11
Divorced 12.1 13.4

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Panola County, Mississippi, 1,314 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 24% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 99% of the people living in Panola County, Mississippi were U.S. natives. 75.8% of the Panola County, Mississippi population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1% of Panola County, Mississippi residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 64% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 75.3 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Panola County, Mississippi come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Panola County, Mississippi.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 31.1
Asia 31.4
Europe 5.5
Africa 0.3
Northern America 0
Oceania 31.7

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024, 2.2 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.6% of people at least five years old; 0.3% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.6
Other Indo-European languages 0.1
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.9 % of the people at least one year old living in Panola County, Mississippi were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 91.9
Different house, same county 4.7
Different county, same state 2.1
Different state 1
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 82.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 17.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 17.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Panola County, Mississippi was 7,700 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 614 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 5,838. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,248.

Educational Attainment of People in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 17.5
High school diploma or equivalency 35
Some college, no degree 19.5
Associate's degree 10.3
Bachelor's degree 10.5
Graduate or professional degree 7.2

Disability

In Panola County, Mississippi, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.6 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.4% of people under 18 years old, to 16.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 39.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Panola County, Mississippi, 48.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 47.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 73.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 9,246 73.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,426 19.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 823 6.6

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Panola County, Mississippi worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.1
Construction 8
Manufacturing 16.3
Wholesale trade 2.8
Retail trade 7.7
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 11.1
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.8
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 26.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.1
Other Services, except public administration 3.4
Public administration 4.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 3,783 30.3
Service occupations 2,177 17.4
Sales and office occupations 2,536 20.3
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,492 11.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,516 20.1

Commuting to Work

An estimated 87.1% of Panola County, Mississippi workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 6.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 29.2 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 87.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 6.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.4
Walked 0.5
Other means 0.4
Worked from home 4.6

In 2020-2024, Panola County, Mississippi had a total of 14,717 housing units. Of these housing units, 66.9% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 7.3% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 25.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 66.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 7.3
Mobile homes 25.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

8.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Panola County, Mississippi was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 69% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Panola County, Mississippi had 12,312 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,405 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 71.1% while renters occupied 28.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.7 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.46.

2.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 12.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.4% and another 30.2% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Panola County, Mississippi:

House Heating Fuel Used in Panola County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 51.7
Electricity 46.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 1.3
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Panola County, Mississippi was $127,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 36.7 % had a mortgage. 63.3% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,197 and for owners without a mortgage it was $418.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Panola County, Mississippi was $874. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.